The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

The Loss of “Team Vestas Wind”

A huge amount of internet ink has been spilled about the shipwreck of the Volvo 65 Team Vestas Wind. But the significant news amongst all of that blather and second guessing is that the navigator Wouter Verbraak has taken complete responsibility for a terrible mistake.

There is also this useful piece that postulates that Verbraak made the classic error of not examining his route at a large enough magnification, and thereby missed the shallow water in their path. In my opinion, that’s probably exactly what happened, particularly since Verbraak himself linked to it.

To me there are three things we can all learn from this accident:

  • There but for the grace of a higher power, or luck (depending on how you look at the world), go any of us.
  • The magnification error is a constant source of danger that can trap even the best navigators and we must all guard against it.
  • Electronic data representation has an intrinsic danger: all of us tend to ascribe a higher level of accuracy to the underlying data than is justified.

Let’s look at each of these lessons in more detail:


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Toby

The concept of chart detail being deprived by zoom level is known as ‘Scamin’. At least thats the term used at both Taunton Hydrographic and the Royal Navy. As a Specialist Navigator RN its certainly one of the key checks made before any navigation, offshore, coastal or pilotage is approved (by command). Every single route must be checked at a zoom scale of 1:1 in order that Scamin of data does not allow us humans to miss key charted information.

Toby

The electronic navigation terminals on a warship have inbuilt protocols that have as yet not filtered to the pleasure market.

A route or navtrack created by the navigator is not completed for navigation until it has been scanned. This is an electronic process whereby the terminal scans every detail on that electronic chart to a 1:1 detail in every chart availiable to the terminal be it an ENC, RASTER or a simple reproduction of a paper Admiralty. The scan of the navtrack is completed to a pre-set corridor which is generally the distance a junior watchkeeper may leave said route without calling Command (2 nm). The scan takes minutes an produces a list of every detail on a 1:1 scale the computer dezignates as a hazard. The navigator must then manually accept each and every one in tern before the route is approved. The Commanding Officer also signs off on the scanned route before it may be used for navigation.

As yet this doesnt seem to have filtered down to pleasure craft electronics (to my knowledge) but could provide that safety net we all need from time to time.

My wife and I love your articles, we keenly await the next. Thank you and please keep them coming.

Rob Gill

Hi Toby, interesting comments thanks. One software application that is available for private users now is weather routing, which will take the weather date for an area and provide an optimal route given the wind, waves and swell predicted, also taking into account the land.
But does this weather based routing software takes account of all land masses or just the big ones? Did auto weather routing software play a part in the Vesta grounding, following a route change to avoid the bad weather?
Is there a danger that software developers will be plotting our safe courses, not navigators?

Marc Dacey

At this level of racing, my impression is that routing software is used extensively in order to maximize the efficiency of the helming, in which the autopilot plays a role. I would like to know if, as has been the case in other head-scratching incidents of this type, whether the AP and GPS were “slaved” together to drive the boat to a waypoint. I prefer personally to drive the AP to a compass bearing and to chart a hypothetical waypoint, say, 10 NM down that course. If you don’t end up (by GPS) where you thought you should, factors of current and drift and even the boat making lee due to sail balance are revealed. There might be elements of those issues in this crash, assuming it just wasn’t about rolling the navigational dice and losing. The race committee has to bear some responsibility, however,as with such fast boats, I think it was imprudent, bad weather or not, to route the race so closely to a reef with known ship-wrecking potential.

Marc Dacey

Yes, I realized that after I posted it…whoops. That does bring up the point, however, of the importance of adequate offing, given that even the pro-level helmers would (as has been said) have trouble steering to closer than five degrees to a set course. That makes the consideration of offing, which is only prudent distance off a known hazard/shore, even more important, as APs helm better than humans for the most part.

Rikki

Cut to the bone… any sailors worst nightmare.
I would put it down to inferior tools of the trade. Reliance on electronic charts brings with it an understanding of their shortcomings. Non navigate-able areas should be apparent on all zoom levels. Dah…
An indication that would incourage closer scrutiny. It is long overdue that the maritime authorities draw up some guidelines.

This reef shows up on the chart on Virtual Race game, zoomed way out. This is not a game for a lot of people. Let’s make sure they have the proper tools.

Navigators today are aware of the lack of detail and should scrutinize the area in their path. Not always an easy task in view of sudden unplanned course changes. Jibes and tacks means course alterations of 90° at any given time. A very difficult task trying to foresee your path at max zoom.
Routines on board should include the skipper in the task of navigation in the traditional sense seeing that the job of the “navigator” is often saturated with tactics involving other boats and weather routing. A task which often leaves them dazed, blind and exhausted.
Watch captains should visit the nav station before their watch for an overview of their situation ahead. In a perfect world this reef should have been spotted. In a perfect world non navigate-able areas should be apparent on lower zoom levels.
This fact has been the frustration of all who use electronic charts as a tool. About time for the industry to address the issue, and do something about it.

Shit happens.. in this case it couldn’t have happened to a nicer more competent guy. In the spirit of his response, I hope lessons will be learned on all (zoom) levels.

Jim Patek

John
Coincidentally, I had just exchanged emails with an Australian sailing friend about the incident relating to him, I hate to admit in such a public way, the number of near misses (and impacts) I have had while sailing in poorly charted waters or due to just plain lack of attention to detail (or in one case, failure to have my reading glasses on my face). So, obviously, I was nodding in full agreement with your conclusions.

I wish that I could give C-Map credit for the accuracy of their charts in the islands of the South Pacific but you cannot trust them…..ever. If approaching any island and associated reef at night, you need radar to confirm your position relative to the chart.

mark

i d say the boat designer is to blame. a plotter behind the wheels and one at the front of the cockpit. i have a couple at the front of mine, one with the screen split to see up close and far for the whole crew to see. silly me but i don’t like to take chances like real sailors do.